Karl Robinson was delighted with the strength in depth showed by his Salford side as they saw off Harrogate despite missing seven key players through injury.
The Ammies climbed to 11th in League Two after goals from Ben Woodburn and Cole Stockton saw them secure a 2-0 victory over their cross-Pennine opponents.
After back-to-back home victories, Robinson spoke of his pride in the club’s recent recruitment and of those players that have stepped into the fold in place of the long list of injured individuals.
“Some of the football we played in the first half was perfect for me,” said Robinson after the game. “I thought we deserved more goals and I think the result could have been a wider scoreline.
“When you consider we had no James Chester, no Frankie Okoronkwo, no Hakeeb Adelakun, no Stephan Negru, no Ryan Watson, no Josh Austerfield and no Dan Chesters – that’s seven players we’ve got out injured.
“When you’ve got that many players out injured and win 2-0 twice at home, I think the players deserve a lot of credit and I’m really pleased from a recruitment perspective over the summer. To have that many players out injured and to put in a performance like we did today is a credit.
“It’s a good win tonight but equally it’s how you take the knocks. Maybe we have a week where it’s three wins and we propel ourselves right into the top and into play-off contention.”
Having won their last three games, including league victories over Chesterfield and Gillingham, Harrogate manager Simon Weaver was surprised with the drop-off in performance levels of his players.
Back-to-back league wins had seen the Yorkshire side climb away from the relegation spots but Weaver said the manner of performance which led to defeat at Salford has left him considering the value of a number of players in his squad, with the January transfer window approaching.
“I did not see the poor level of performance we had tonight coming,” said the Harrogate boss.
“I have been speaking highly of the players in terms of bite, energy and organisation but we looked like the team from earlier in the season where we lacked consistency.
“I thought the attitude was lacking in energy and intensity tonight and we can’t drop our guard like that because we looked distinctly average in all aspects of our game.
“I’ve got to look at January and nights like this will be prominent in my mind when it comes to decision time.
“Maybe minds were on the FA Cup draw against Leeds United but no-one will be on board that bus come mid-January if people can’t show consistent intensity and effort.”
